bias

bias is a film that challenges us to confront our hidden biases and understand what we risk when we follow our gut. Through exposing her own biases, award-winning documentary filmmaker Robin Hauser  highlights the nature of implicit bias, the grip it holds on our social and professional lives, and what it will take to induce change

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Tagline

If you're human, you're biased. Now what?

Logline

bias challenges us to confront our hidden biases and understand what we risk when we follow our gut. Through exposing her own biases, award-winning documentary filmmaker Robin Hauser (CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap, Running for Jim) highlights the nature of implicit bias, the grip it holds on our social and professional lives, and what it will take to induce change.

Synopsis

The toxic effects of bias make headlines every day: sexual harassment, racial profiling, the pay gap. As humans, we are biased. Yet few of us are willing to admit it. We confidently make snap judgments, but we are shockingly unaware of the impact our assumptions have on those around us. The documentary feature bias follows filmmaker Robin Hauser on a journey to uncover her hidden biases and explore how unconscious bias defines relationships, workplaces, our justice system, and technology. bias contemplates the most pressing question: can we de-bias our brains?

There is a test that measures unconscious biases: the Harvard-based Implicit Association Test, or IAT. In bias, Robin takes the IAT and is shocked by her results. She embarks on an investigation into the nature of human bias, tracking down the test’s co- creators, Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, to dig into the science behind bias before traveling across the country and around the world to explore cutting-edge research into bias and its effects on our social and professional lives.

Throughout, bias gives voice to neighbors concerned about profiling in their communities, CEOs battling bias in their businesses, and those of us hesitant to admit our own biases. After confronting  her unconscious bias, Robin turns to action by engaging with innovative experiments – from corporate strategies to tech interventions and virtual reality – that are reshaping our understanding of implicit bias and attempting to mitigate it. In settings such as a police deadly force decision simulator and a virtual reality lab designed to reduce racial bias, the film considers the possibilities presented by new technology. At the same time, it exposes the risks we take by using algorithms to solve for human bias.

Humorous anecdotes, alarming exposés, and Robin’s acute vulnerability prompt viewers to reflect on their own “gut feelings.” When should we trust them and when should we let them go?

Our Crew

Robin Hauser

Robin Hauser

Producer, Director

 Kathryn Bostic

Kathryn Bostic

Composer

Jason Alarcón

Jason Alarcón

Assistant Editor

Melisa Nolan

Melisa Nolan

Outreach and Social Media Producer

Christine Herring

Christine Herring

Editor

Joanne Lubeck Esser

Joanne Lubeck Esser

Advisor

Lucas Guilkey

Lucas Guilkey

Assistant Editor

Molly Schwartz

Molly Schwartz

Design and Animation

John Behrens

John Behrens

Director of Photography

Sarah Cannon

Sarah Cannon

Assistant Editor

Jim Choi

Jim Choi

Sound Recordist

Jack Youngelson

Jack Youngelson

Story Consultant

Brook Holston

Brook Holston

Supervising Producer

Tierney Henderson

Tierney Henderson

Associate Producer

Adriano Bravo

Adriano Bravo

Sound Recordist

Nikki Orzel

Nikki Orzel

Web Delveloper

Advisors

Julie Parker Benello

Julie Parker Benello

Jane Margolis

Jane Margolis

Judith Michelle Williams

Judith Michelle Williams

Cedric Brown

Cedric Brown

Avis Yates Rivers

Avis Yates Rivers

Britta Wilson

Britta Wilson

Danielle Feinberg

Danielle Feinberg

Kris Timken

Kris Timken

Jacquelyn Zehner

Jacquelyn Zehner

Aileen Lee

Aileen Lee

Peter Vitale

Peter Vitale